Your Diabetes Blog

Well, we all have times when we want to celebrate, don't we? But sometimes celebrating can really throw our blood sugars and diabetes control to the wind!

It was only one day - we were celebrating our wedding anniversary and decided to go up to London for the day. You know, do the tourist thing, wander around London taking all the sights in.

It was a great day out, we were really lucky with the weather, but... I have to admit I didn't take as much care as I usually do about what I eat. No - don't get me wrong. I didn't go mad eating ice-creams, cakes or sweets. I just had a slightly more exotic meal in the evening, with a lot more of the complex carbohydrates than I'm used to eating these days.

So I had the french fries, pitta bread and I suspect the salad dressing was a bit higher in sugar content as well.

And it really threw my blood sugars out of balance. It meant I had to take additional tablets to bring it back under control. And it took a couple of days to even out properly. You see when you have diabetes type 2 the control is not quite so easily fine-tuned.

It isn't a matter of taking a couple of extra units of insulin (not that I'd recommend that on a regular basis for type 1 diabetes anyway!).

What we eat, what exercise we get as well as any tablets we take all combine to balance our blood-sugar levels.

Ah well, it only happens once or twice a year - but I think I'll take just a little more care next time, after all it isn't worth risking my long-term health for one day of pleasure, is it?

Research has reported one of the greatest contributors to the type 2 diabetes epidemic is obesity brought on by our modern lifestyle.

Eating too much and lack of exercise all combine towards a higher risk of developing diabetes.

Are you eating yourself into diabetes type 2? These 4 eating habits, which are so easy to slip into, could lead to obesity and may make you another statistic in type 2 diabetes epidemic...

1) Snacking... Are you really hungry when you snack? Or is it that you "just fancy a bite to eat"?

Snacking is probably one of the biggest contributions to weight gain. It's not so much the snacking, it's what you snack on! Cookies /biscuits, chocolate, cakes, snack bars - all these contain massive amounts of sugar that increase the burden on our immune system. If you overload your system with sugar it may not cope, you could end up with insulin resistance which leads to type 2 diabetes.

Healthy, no added sugar or sugar free snacks are the best options if you MUST snack.

In a 2006 Sky TV program Paul McKenna (the famous hypnotherapist) explained how the simple act of slowing down how quickly you eat by putting your knife and fork down between mouthfuls and chewing more slowly, can contribute to weight loss.

Think about it, if you're eating more slowly you'll know when you are full. You won't continue eating and get that uncomfortable bloated feeling. And you won't put all that extra weight on.

Watching that program gave me an 'Aha!' moment, because that's exactly what my father has done all his life. It's a standing joke in the family that he takes so long to eat a meal - he often finishes half-an-hour after everyone else. And guess what? Yep - he's as skinny as a rake. Wish I could say the same about me!

3) Unconscious eating... No, I don't mean 'sleep-eating' (I wonder if there is such a thing?) I'm talking about automatic eating without any conscious thought to what you are doing.

How often do you do something else whilst eating? Watching TV; reading a book; reading a magazine or newspaper; listening to music, a radio show or conversation? For a vast majority of people it is rare to just sit and have a meal, without interruptions.

Penn State laboratory carried out a recent study and discovered pre-school children, who watched TV whilst eating, ate up to 33% more than they did when they had a meal without the TV on.

How much extra do you eat, without realizing it, because you are absorbed in a book or TV program?

4) Sugary drinks... Do you have a favorite soft drink? If you do, is it a sugar-sweetened drink or a concentrated sugar-rich fruit juice? And, on a hot day, how much do you drink of that favorite? Half-a-liter? One liter?

It's all added sugar, which not only impacts on your weight, it also impacts on your body's control of the sugar levels in your blood.

In a recent medical study in the US the results indicated that having just one sugar sweetened drink of fruit juice every day increased women's susceptibility to becoming part of the type 2 diabetes epidemic, by up to 80%.

So, are you planning to be part of the diabetes epidemic? OK, maybe you're not planning to... but maybe your unconscious eating habits have got you on that slippery slope to diabetes. A little thought about what you eat, where and how, can reduce the risk for you.

Add to that some gentle exercise and you can cut the chances of becoming a diabetic considerably.

In a new class of drugs (DPP-4 inhibitors) for type 2 diabetes; Januvia, is the first to hit the market place.

It helps diabetics, who have not had looked for results with other drugs, control high blood sugar levels. Januvia is in tablet form and one a day is prescribed.

When combined with diet and exercise it helps to improve blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Januvia can be added to existing oral medication, such as metformin, Avandia, or Actos if they don't adequately control blood sugar.

Metformin is also known as Glucophage and can also be obtained as a generic metformin.

An Important Development

The drug company, Merck have held studies, lasting between 12 weeks to just over a year, on the effect of the drug. Over 2,700 type 2 diabetics were involved in the trials.

This is an important development for the control of blood sugar levels which, if left unchecked, lead to serious health problems such as neuropathy (nerve damage), heart problems, retinopathy (eye damage), nerve and kidney failure.

Type 2 diabetes is "very, very common," the FDAs Robert Meyer, MD, told reporters in a news conference.

"There are a number of other oral medications available," Meyer commented. He directs the FDAs Office of Drug Evaluation ll. "Not everybody optimally responds to each medication and not everybody can tolerate each medication," Meyer says. "So having a new drug in a new class for such a widely prevalent disease is important in and of its own right."

High Numbers of Sufferers Reported

There are close to 21 million people in the U.S. diagnosed with diabetes, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

The real worry is that about 6 million of those people are undiagnosed and do not realise they have diabetes.

The FDA claim that type 2 diabetes is the most prevalent type of diabetes, accounting for about 90% to 95% of all diagnosed cases.

How The New Drug Januvia Works

Type 2 diabetics do not produce enough insulin - a hormone that controls blood sugar - or they have insulin resistance, which means their body doesnt use insulin properly.

Januvia prolongs the activity of proteins that boost the release of insulin after blood sugar rises, by blocking an enzyme called DPP-IV. Normally DPP-IV breaks down these proteins.

By preventing the enzyme from working, Januvia lets the insulin-boosting proteins last longer, which creates better blood sugar control.

The Associated Press reports that Merck is expected to charge $4.86 per pill for the once-daily Januvia. Older diabetes drugs often cost 50 cents per day.

Some Side Effects

The most common side effects that occurred during the Januvia clinical trials were upper respiratory tract infection, sore throat, and diarrhea.

Januvia has only been studied in people over the age of 18 years, according to the Mercks patient information.

Further studies on people taking Januvia with insulin and other diabetic medications will take place.

Meyer says the FDA feels "comfortable enough" with Januvias study data not to require any special studies on the drugs safety.

"Obviously, all drugs approved by the FDA are closely followed for post-approval safety experience," Meyer says. "But we felt after a review of a rather robust safety program that the data were sufficiently reassuring that we didnt think there was any special program needed to look at the safety postapproval."

As diabetics, we are always interested in anything that could possibly offer a way of getting rid of our diabetes. But the truth is, there is no real cure. There is only prevention and, ultimately, control.

The real pity is we desperately want to believe that there is a diabetes cure - I know I would love to be able to eat whatever I want, whenever I want without having to worry about shoving blood sugar levels through the roof!

And the worst part, there are a lot of charlatans out there who would have you believe they have found the 'be-all and end-all' cure for every disease under the sun, including a diabetes cure. But the sad fact is they'll just take your money and run and you could end up not only poorer, but with real health problems as well...

Agencies Join Forces to Stop Fraudulent Claims of Diabetes Cures

Which is why Health Canada and the Competition Bureau decided to work with their counterpart agencies in the U.S. and Mexico to bring out 177 compliance and enforcement actions against unethical companies promoting bogus Diabetes products and services. They were announced today, 19 October 2006.

The three countries are focused on fighting "miracle cures" fraud and the initiative for 2006 is concentrating on claims for a diabetes cure. Diabetes can affect people of any age.

"Diabetes is a serious health issue that affects a large number of people all over the world and many consumers are lured by false claims about miracle cures for this disease," said Canada's Health Minister Tony Clement. "Any product that claims to be a miracle cure for diabetes is a fraud that could cheat Canadians of their time, money and most importantly, their health," the Minister said. "We will continue to work with our North American partners to combat health scams designed to exploit vulnerable consumers."

The agencies have developed various consumer education and awareness products including a pamphlet (www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/intactivit/trilateral-coop/fraud/diabete_e.html) on fraudulent claims of diabetes cures and an "educational teaser" Web site (www.wemarket4u.net/glucobate). (Worth checking out).

Buyer Beware...

My personal advice is always check everything you do with your diabetic team, as I did when I decided to test the WSN productI tell you about on my website.

And most importantly, be aware that NOTHING cures diabetes. All any product can do, whether it is herbal, natural or pharmaceutical drugs, is help you to control your blood sugar levels. Which, in turn, will hopefully delay the serious health problems diabetes creates. As a diabetic you have to work with your diabetes team to find the best control solution for you.